Quick take
Read the book behind the movie, and get into a quirky, cute romance that's built on some pretty heavy drama.
Good to know
Romance
Emotional
Quirky
Now a movie
Synopsis
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.
Member ratings (1,879)
Ivy N.
Raleigh, NC
As CS Lewis once said, “love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken.” My favorite book (now turned movie). It’s sappy and beautiful. Cried my eyes out then and still do ????????????????
Sheri G.
Brooklyn, NY
This book was sad but it told a story about a teenager struggling with mental health - crying out for help & the reality that we sometimes dont realize till it’s too late. Violet’s loss broke my heart
Amanda T.
Logan, OH
Gut-wrenching. As opposed to reviews I’ve seen, this was not just poetic, romanticism of suicide; it was reality. As someone with BPD, these are emotions I can sympathize with. His POV was eye opening
Addie D.
Thomaston, CT
Heartbreaking read. It was like Finch slowly gave what life he had left to saving Violet. He broke her out of her grief & left her “forever changed”. A take on how we process & recover from trauma.
Chelsea R.
Methuen, MA
It was beautiful that a boy who could barely function himself used up all his energy to bring a girl out of the darkness and back into the brightness of the world and help her see all the beauty in it